Terra Incognita

82

Ruso and the nymph were watching the rising sun gilding the top tiles of the prefect’s roof when two people emerged from his office.

“Tilla!”

She turned to look at Ruso as the guard hustled her along under the portico.

“Are you all right?”

“Eyes front!” snapped the guard, giving her a shove that made her stumble, and they were gone.

Moments later another familiar figure emerged. Metellus strode past the nymph and accosted him. “Your girlfriend,” he said, “is nothing but trouble.”

“What’s she done now?”

“Amazing how taking hostages jogs their memories, isn’t it? She’s suddenly remembered where she saw Stag Man before.”

“She’s what? Let me talk to her!”

Metellus snorted. “If I were you, I’d stay well away. You don’t want to be dragged down with her. Try thinking with your head for a change, Ruso.”

Before Ruso’s head could come up with a reply, the house steward approached.

“Prefect Decianus will see you now, sir,” said the steward, his tone suggesting that if it were up to him, he would have told Ruso to come back sometime next year.

In the light of what Metellus had just said, Ruso wished he had.

“You were supposed to report back in time for Metellus to organize a prosecution case,” said Decianus, lifting his arms while a crouching slave adjusted the folds of his tunic, “Instead of gallivanting over the hills getting yourself taken prisoner by barbarians.”

“Sorry, sir.”

“Are you injured?”

“Not really, sir.”

“I hear your deputy’s been arrested for trying to murder your clerk. You haven’t exactly restored order in the infirmary, have you?”

“The clerk was investigating a fraud in the infirmary accounts, sir.”

“What else have you got for me?”

What Ruso had had, until moments ago, was a plea for mercy on behalf of the undeserving Rianorix and an insistence that both he and the innocent Tilla had been trying to restrain the crowd last night.

Now it seemed that Tilla was not so innocent after all. And if she had been lying to him all along about knowing the Stag Man, perhaps she had lied about Rianorix. Perhaps he really had murdered Felix. On the other hand, Catavignus had a motive, and he had an opportunity, and… And Ruso was suffering from lack of sleep and a headache and he did not know what to say about any of this. He could not come up with any words until he had had a chance to unscramble Metellus’s latest revelation.

“I’m told,” prompted Decianus, “that you now think Catavignus the brewer carried out the murder. I take it we have evidence?”

“I was hoping to get something this morning, sir.”

“You mean no?”

“Not yet, sir.”

The slave finished tweaking and lifted the prefect’s breastplate from the stand. Decianus motioned him to wait. “I’ve got the governor arriving in a matter of hours,” he said. “I’ve still got one man who’s confessed to a murder and another one who probably did it. You’ve had days to sort this out, and we’re no farther ahead.”

“You’ve got Rianorix in custody again, sir.”

“We could have done that whenever we wanted. We’d have the Stag Man as well by now if it weren’t for you.”

“Yes, sir.”

“So have you got anything useful to tell me?”

“The infirmary’s been cleaned out and tidied up and is ready for the governor’s inspection, sir.”

“I heard you had to bring in reinforcements.”

“A professional colleague volunteered, sir.”

“So you didn’t even manage that by yourself.”

“No, sir.” There was no point in arguing. “Sir, I need to ask you something.”

Decianus sighed. “Go on.”

“I was hoping you could release the girl Tilla-the one you just saw- to help me gather evidence this morning.”

Decianus lowered his head and pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. Looking up, he said, “Is this some sort of practical joke?”

“Sir?”

“Did she put you up to this?”

“No, sir.”

“I suppose you’d like me to release the basket maker as well?”

“No, sir. We can do that if we find some evidence against Catavignus.”

“Catavignus is on our side, Ruso, and it’s time you learned to stand on your own feet instead of calling on colleagues and women to help you out. You’ve already told Metellus that your deputy did it. Next you’ll be telling me it was you. I’m not surprised the legion thought they could spare you. You’re as mad as the Greek and twice as useless. Now clear off, I’ve got more important things to do.”